Seal-lock



(No Model.)

J. V. REED & E. FRAZER.

SEAL LOCK.

No. 456,596. Patented July 28, 1891.

v rlv WITNESSES. INVENTDR. A 06., Q, MOW/ E r 7am. "I,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH V; REED AND EUGENE FRAZER, OF JEFFERSONVILLE, INDIANA.

SEAL-LOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 456,596, dated July 28, 1891.

Application filed October 10,1890. Serial No. 367,707. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOSEPH V. REED and EUGENE FRAZER, citizens of the United States, residing at Jeffersonville, in the county of Clark and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in (Jar- Seal and Indicator for Class-Freight; and we do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked Ehereon, which form a part of this specifica- Our invention relates to that class of seals for freight-cars, &c., in which a paper seal is broken by the opening of the door or other part in connection with which the device is used; and it has for its object the provision of a device of the character stated, which shall be extremely simple in its-construction and cheap in the cost of its manufacture, and which shall comprise, in part, the hasp and staple commonly found on freight-cars, thereby utilizing the latter and permitting the device to be used on cars without the necessity of the removal of the fastening means thereon except the lock proper.

In order that those skilled in the art to which our invention appertaius may fully understand how to make and use the same, we will proceed to describe its construction and operation in detail, referring by letter to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the specification, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a railway freight-car and its door, showing the door fastened and sealed with our invention. Fig. 2 is alongitudinal sectional view of the same. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a portion of a car and door, showing the seal and indicator as it will appear when a door sealed with it has been opened. Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view of the seal-holder.

In the drawings similarletters refer to similar parts throughout.

R represents part of the side of a freight-car adjoining the door of such car.

S represents the door.

E represents a hasp of a usual form, as shown, consisting of two parts hinged together, one adapted to be fastened to the door of a car by screws or bolts, and the free part a clasp adapted to pass over the staple F; F, the staple, and A a pin by which the hasp is held on the staple. The pin has a ring I-I through its head and is supported bya chain 71, one end of which is attached to the ring and the other end fastened to the car above the staple. This pin is narrowed at its lower end and bent anteriorly, so as to form a book a.

B is a seal-holder, and consists of a block of wood or metal provided with a vertical passage G, and is firmly fastened to the car just below the staple and registering with the staple, so that the pin when pushed through the staple will go through the hole G. In order to allow the projecting hook a to get through it a vertical slot g is made in the face of the seal-holder connecting with the passage 13 throughout its length. The outer face of the seal-holding block B is preferably fiat and perpendicular to the plane of its depth.

D represents the seal and indicator, which consists of a piece of water-proof paper of the dimensions of the face of the seal-holder, having adhesive gum on its back, and printed on its face letters and words indicating the railroad, the station, and the character of the load. arrangement, style, and color as' may seem most suitable and convenient.

When it is desired to use seal and indicator on a freight-car, the door is closed, the hasp put over the staple, the pin pushed through the staple and the vertical passage in the seal-holder, and then the gum on the back of the seal is moistened and it is pasted over the face of the seal-holder, covering the slot through which the projection a. on the pin passed. It is evident that the pin cannot be drawn out to open the door without tearing the seal, as shown in Fig. The torn seal is so noticeable as to be seen on the slightest inspection, but does not deface the names sufficiently to lessen its value as an indicator.

The use of water-proof paper for our seal and indicator prevents its removal by the application of moisture and protects it from the weather.

The printing of the road and station names and the character of the freight conspicuously on the face of the seal is a great con- These words may be printed in such venience to those handling the cars, and combining them with the seal, as in our invention, enables cars to be sealed and marked by one operation in the quickest and simplest manner.

The use' of our seal and indicator allows the continued use of the hasp-and-staple fastening above described, which is the one generally used on freightcars, the only change necessarybeing in the pin, which must have near its lower end the hook a or some equivalent anterior projection adapted to pass through the slot in the face of the seal-holder, so that when being withdrawn to open the door it will tear the seal. It will therefore, be seen that the'seal-holder and pin are substituted for the lock proper, and while they do not lock the car so that the latter cannot be opened when desired, still practical experience has demonstrated that the device affords greater protection than such locks, for with the latter the car may be entered and a portion of its contents abstracted and the door again fastened without such fact being positively disclosed, while with the device herein described the car cannot be entered Without such fact being shown. It will be further seen that the herein-described seal-holder is ot the simplest construction, and its use in connection with the hasp and staple conilnonly found on freight-cars makes the device extremely simple and cheap, much cheaper, in fact, than the common fastening means, while as above stated, it affords greater protection.

Another advantage derived from the utilizing of the hasp and staple in connection with a pin and seal-holder is, that if it is not desired to seal the car the lock proper may be used alone, or the car may be both locked and sealed with, owing to the extreme siinplieity and cheapness of the seal-holder and pin, little additional expense.

We do not claim, broadly, a seal for cars,

&c.,-in which a paper will be mutilated by a pin on the opening of the part to which it is Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The herein-described car-seal, comprising a hasp made in two part-s hinged together, a staple passing through an opening in one end of said hasp, a seal-holder located beneathsaid staple and having a vertical passage and a vertical slot registering with said vertical passage, a pin passing through said staple and seal-holder and having its lower end narrowed and bent anteriorly to form a hook, and a seal secured to the face of said seal-holder over said pin and adapted to be mutilated by the hook end of the latter on the withdrawal of the pin from the holder.

In testimony whereof we'affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH V. REED. EUGENE FRAZER.

\Vitnesses:

CHAS. D. SHANK, HENRY C. SECRIST. 

